One of the best-studied systems of pheromone communication in animals is that of the honey bee. Honey bees that live in temperate climates are almost ideal subjects for pheromone research. These bees build their nests inside enclosed places, such as holes in trees, spaces in walls, or boxlike hives provided by beekeepers. By constructing hives with glass walls, scientists have been able to watch bees inside their nests and observe firsthand how they interact and communicate with one another.

Pheromone Communication in Bees

Now that you have a little background on pheromones, let’s take a look at how important pheromone communication is for the members of a honey bee colony and how these chemical messages play a role in almost every aspect of a bee’s life.

Why Study Pheromones?

Pheromone communication is a fascinating part of honey bee life. In many ways, however, we are only beginning to understand it. And much remains to be discovered and explained.​One of the most exciting things about any area of science is that the more we know, the more it seems there is to know. Yet as scientists continue to investigate pheromone communication, they are doing more than satisfying their curiosity. There are very practical reasons for studying the pheromones of honey bees, as well as those of other animals. The knowledge we gain from such research can be used to benefit humans in a variety of ways.

As they forage for food, bees and other insects spread pollen from flower to flower. In so doing, they ensure that many kinds of plants will continue to produce seeds year after year, seeds that will grow into the plants that provide us with food and other useful products. It might someday be possible to use synthetic pheromones to make these insect pollinators more efficient.

In the future, for instance, farmers may be able to attract bees to crops that need pollinating by spraying their ﬁelds with synthetic pheromone. Learn more at http://austingosser.bcz.com​Researchers at the U.S.Department of Agriculture conducting an experiment with the trail pheromones of ﬁre ants. The pheromones might be used to attract the insects to food treated with insecticide. This would then be carried back to the nest and consumed. This is only one of the ways in which pheromones may be helpful in controlling insect pests.

Pheromones for Pests

Not all insects are as helpful as honey bees. Almost one-third of all human food grown each year is destroyed by insect pests. For decades, the only way to control such insects has been to use toxic chemicals to kill them. But insecticides have been far from a perfect solution. Over the years, many kinds of insects have developed a resistance to these chemicals. That is why they are no longer effective. Furthermore, countless numbers of beneficial insects such as bees and wasps are needlessly destroyed by the use of insecticides, and the health of other animals in the environment is endangered. For these reasons, many researchers are currently trying to discover ways in which pheromones can be used to control insect pests.